How Do DVD Discs With CPRM Work?

DVDs with CPRM encryption are a deterrent to those who may want to make additional copies of DVD media.

DVDs with CPRM allow you to personally burn content to a disc and have built-in protection that does not allow for copies to be made except for off of the original DVD.

Basics

CPRM (Content Protection for Recordable Media) is a type of encryption technology that is intended to protect DVD content from being unwillingly copied and distributed. This encryption is placed on discs at the manufacturer and is found on the Narrow Burst Cutting Area (NBCA) of the DVD. This area cannot be written to by standard consumer DVD recorders, and thus cannot be easily duplicated.

Function

An original DVD with CPRM technology may be copied by a DVD recorder. Since a standard recorder cannot write to the NBCA, the copy is encrypted differently than the original and further attempts to make copies from that disc will prove unsuccessful.

Compatibility

CPRM encryption specifies what brands of DVD players may play its content and in which region of the world. All DVD players have a code within them that must match with the disc it is attempting to play. Check with the manufacturer, as some DVD players may not be compatible with CPRM.

References

• OSTA: Copying Deterrents and Content Protection
• Intel: Intel and CPRM/CPPM